Fire safety failures in CEPZ concerning

We are alarmed to learn that nearly three-fourths of all factories at the Chattogram Export Processing Zone (CEPZ) are operating without valid fire safety certificates, as found by a recent investigation by the Department of Fire Service and Civil Defence. Reportedly, every factory is required to obtain approval for a fire safety plan when it is established and to subsequently receive an effectiveness certificate following an inspection by the authorities. However, the probe report reveals that only 55 out of 164 CEPZ factories currently hold the mandatory effectiveness certificate. Such non-compliance in an area like the EPZ exposes the poor state of industrial safety in Bangladesh.

While factory owners are clearly responsible for neglecting fire safety protocols, the absence of consistent monitoring and enforcement by the relevant authorities is equally to blame. The Fire Prevention and Extinguishing Act, 2003, clearly mandates that every industrial establishment must obtain approval for a fire safety plan and renew its certificate regularly. Yet, enforcement has been weak for years at the CEPZ. Many older buildings, particularly those constructed before 2008, were built without following fire safety rules or maintaining proper spacing between structures. During the October 16 fire that gutted two factories inside the zone, the firefighters' efforts were severely hampered due to such non-compliance.

Unfortunately, it is not just the CEPZ factories; similar fire incidents at Dhaka airport and at chemical warehouses in Mirpur and Tongi have revealed systemic weaknesses in our fire prevention, inter-agency coordination, and emergency response capacity. The fire service department itself struggles with limited modern equipment, inadequate training for chemical-related fires, and a shortage of protective gear for firefighters who routinely risk their lives. The poor preparedness at all levels makes it clear that Bangladesh's fire safety system needs urgent modernisation.

In order to improve fire safety at the CEPZ, factory owners and the relevant authorities must ensure full compliance with regulations. Factories in all other EPZs and industrial parks should also be inspected regularly, with a focus on high-risk areas where buildings are closely packed or structurally non-compliant. Fire safety data must be continuously updated and monitored, and no factory should be allowed to operate without a valid certificate. Equally importantly, the fire service must be equipped with modern tools and training to handle chemical and industrial fires, while joint drills, stricter inspections, and digital record-keeping of safety compliance can greatly improve oversight.